The coronavirus situation could prove to degrade the market like many other sectors in the country. This has been over and over been stressed by conscious individuals. We too have expressed such concern. The fact that the supply of essential commodities may be disrupted due to the transportation ban, especially during the lockdown, has already been proven worldwide other than Bangladesh.
After the almost complete stagnation of the economy, where the income of the people is limited or in some cases totally shutdown, the high market prices can cause multitude of problems. We cannot argue that the market in our country is always fluctuating and the authorities have to struggle to keep it stable. With Ramadan knocking at the door just a couple of days away, the price of products has already seen a significant rise.
Like every other year, as the Ramadan approaches,
there is always a fear in the mind of citizens about
prices of commodities that might go up at any moment
Whether it be the price of onions or salt or rice or oil, always there is the price of something that goes up and the authorities try heart and soul to bring it under control often resolving to punitive action and local market crackdowns. Like every other year, as the Ramadan approaches, there is always a fear in the mind of citizens about prices of commodities that might go up at any moment.
The difference this year is that the coronavirus has halted the country to a standstill. Also, the transportation of goods can also be considered a problem with the transportation ban. Facing such conditions one can only guess as to what the near future holds for the citizens’ fate in terms of price of commodities.
The authorities concerned have to take comprehensive measures to keep the market active and to control the prices of the commodities. In this case a slight delay can create an outstanding crisis. This month, with the demand for food products increasing we can see that an artificial crisis is created each year. This time it should not be repeated. In order to deal with the coronavirus crisis, one should have double vigilance and similar activism.
